Artivistic: Promiscuous Infrastructures [Phase 2]

Installation

March 9 – April 14, 2012
Opening on Friday March 9, 5:30pm – Hand-made dumplings served at 7pm (while supplies last)
Members of Artivistic will have “drop-in hours” every Saturday from 12-5pm

Project Description

In its ongoing investigation into autonomous infrastructures, Artivistic proposes insights into the “base” of creative life in our society, particularly in how it pertains to the work of artists, activists and academics, by asking: How do we build value in affective relationships? How do we organise for that (models, processes, strategies)? How do we in turn outstretch these in the long-term?

During five weeks, Artivistic will activate a (counter) production space by transforming the gallery into a temporary press with the hope of bringing ideas to life and punctuating collective thought processes. The space will consist of a hybrid between a creative lab, a radical documentation centre and an experimental exhibition, exuding the spirit of infrastructures at the expense of fear and isolation.

The temporary print shop will serve as an action-oriented affinity building machine. This intervention represents an important stage of our development of “promiscuous infrastructures,” that of visualising our research. By “night shifting” the Skol office (as one of those promiscuous infrastructures) in the months leading up to the spring, we collaborated with past and new allies in order to make material available in malleable form, in the spirit of critical open source, community building and mutual valuation of our diverse tactics. In this out-of-service site, the public will be invited to take part, with us, in a creative and convivial slowing down, where thinking and making meet in the process of finding each other and becoming many.

In parallel, PI2 will be hosting the following public events:

Saturday March 10, 12-5pm: How do we negotiate the promiscuity of infrastructures on the island of Montréal? Printing and playing cards with which to re-shuffle how we understand the promiscuous infrastructures that tangle with daily life in Montreal. Proposed by Cecilia Chen & Heather Davis. (Max 15 participants, RSVP at jetsam.overboard@gmail.com)

Saturday March 17, 12-6pm: Typographic Poster Workshop inspired by Loesje collective. Kevin Yuen Kit Lo will lead a collaborative writing and design workshop with the goal of producing a poster series addressing the concerns of the participants and their communities.

Thursday March 29, 6pm: Art, activism & movements for social change in Montreal. A presentation on the critical role that art and culture play in movements for social change, focusing on Montreal over the past decade. Proposed by Stefan Christoff.

Saturday March 31 & Sunday April 1, 12-5pm: Think We Must/Convocation. Women harness themselves to power. Words as harness. With the participation of Marie-Pierre Boucher, Hermine Ortega, Emmanuelle Sirois, Martine Delvaux, Annie Abrahams and others to confirm. Performance proposed by Julie Châteauvert, technical concept by Sofian Benaissa. To view and participate in the performance on line: thinkwemust.org. View photos of the performance by Anne Goldenberg.

Saturday April 7, 12-5pm: The Sandbox Project is a series of experimental production labs bringing together artists, activists and techies; the Montreal Sandbox will rethink the composition of online and offline platforms for collaboration. Proposed by Alessandra Renzi & Roberta Buiani.
Report

Saturday April 14, at 6 pm: Unveiling of the “winning proposal” by the Awesomest Foundation + finissage. See additional photos of the finissage, and photos of the project by Thien.